Each year, thousands of people die or are badly injured in automobile accidents. One situation that causes needless accidental deaths and injury arises when a car moves into a street or motorway from a position that is perpendicular to the axis of that street or motorway. This can occur when a vehicle is moving out of a street, parking garage or parking space. Drivers pulling into oncoming traffic from such a position must begin by placing the front end of their vehicle far enough out into the street that they can now directly view the oncoming traffic. Cars parked along the side of the street can impair that visual “read” of the traffic, forcing the driver to protrude ever farther into the oncoming traffic, at increasing risk to life, limb and vehicle to pedestrians, cyclist, animals and other motorists.
The present state of the art for vehicle safety includes the use of cameras mounted on the rear of vehicles to reduce collisions occurring as a result of a vehicle backing up. These systems utilize a small, pre-positioned stationary camera on the rear exterior of the vehicle and a visual display within the driver's compartment. This can be accompanied by alarm devices that utilize modern proximity alert devices (for example, infrared technology) to detect an unseen obstacle (such as a child or a housecat) and call the driver's attention to the display and the obstacle.